From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishharridanhar‧ri‧dan /ˈhærɪdən/ noun [countable] old-fashioned UNPLEASANTa bad-tempered unpleasant woman
Examples from the Corpus
harridan• Sometimes she seemed such a gullible innocent, sometimes she was an infuriating harridan, sometimes a malevolent witch.• I can be an old harridan but I try to be controlled.• A doormat for that bullying old harridan to wipe her feet on.• Approaching the lodging house it looks as if the old harridan has got a gang together to repel unwelcome boarders.• He reached for the lamp a second time, feeling the bed shake as the harridan prepared to make her escape.• With a roar, he turned on the harridans and flew at them, and the harridans were beset with physical chastisement.Origin harridan (1600-1700) Perhaps from French haridelle “old horse, thin woman” 